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The versatility of 3D printers is much lauded, and there are many reasons why we hold them in high regard. But what happens when you need to output lines in space rather than volumes? That’s where a CNC wire bender comes in handy. Usually found in factories and serious machinery setups, CNC wire benders tend to be out of reach for the DIY maker.

Not any more. The guys over at Pensa have developed a handy little unit they call the DIWire Bender. This table-top device is a prototyping machine that can bend metal wire into 2D and 3D shapes.

It’s still early days for this device, yet things are off to a promising start. The wire is fed through a series of wheels that straighten it, and then on to the bending head that articulates in 3D to create the curves of your design.
There are some interesting ideas floating about on what this can be used for. From prototypes and wireframe models, to spectacles and on-demand jewellery… it’s even possible to create custom springs and other tricky engineering components.

“A DIWire Bender could eventually become an element in an array of 3D equipment with different capabilities. One day, if you get enough rapid prototype machines in a room hooked into a data line, you may be able to fax a bicycle. Now that would be cool.”

Follow through after the break for a neat little video of the DIWire in action.